Upstream | July 10, 2009 | 10 comments

Beautiful Chaos

source: http://www.universetoday.com/2009/07/09/beautiful-chaos/

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pjacobs51
Can you imagine living in this region of space? Just think of the beautiful views you'd have in the sky – that is, if you survived the chaos as one galaxy is passing through the core of three other galaxies at ridiculous (ludicrous?) speeds (3.2 million km per hour / 2 million miles per hour) generating a shock wave of gas and X-rays.

This is Stephen's Quintet, A compact group of galaxies, discovered about 130 years ago, located about 280 million light years from Earth. The curved, light blue ridge running down the center of the image shows X-ray data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The galaxy in the middle, NGC 7318b is passing through the core of the other galaxies at high speed and is thought to be causing the ridge of X-ray emission by generating a shock wave that heats the gas. The most prominent galaxy in front (NGC 7320) is actually far away from the other galaxies and is not part of the group.

Additional heating by supernova explosions and stellar winds has also probably taken place in Stephan's Quintet. A larger halo of X-ray emission – not shown here – detected by ESA's XMM-Newton could be evidence of shock-heating by previous collisions between galaxies in this group. Some of the X-ray emission is likely also caused by binary systems containing massive stars that are losing material to neutron stars or black holes.

Stephan's Quintet provides a rare opportunity to observe a galaxy group in the process of evolving from an X-ray faint system dominated by spiral galaxies to a more developed system dominated by elliptical galaxies and bright X-ray emission. Being able to witness the dramatic effect of collisions in causing this evolution is important for increasing our understanding of the origins of the hot, X-ray bright halos of gas in groups of galaxies.

Source: Chandra
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10 comments // Beautiful Chaos

  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  

    • Super boring galaxies have life. Astronomers should be looking for more boring galaxies. When they find one that's generating a lot of static it's either Life or they've discovered the biggest mirror in the universe.

      Static is the giveaway for lots of petty bureaucrats.

    • 2 years ago
  • Revelation_Machine
    • 0
      Revelation_Machine  

    • well i'll bet if there are any living creatures on some of those planets they may find they have neighbors very abrubtly, and violently, either from their planets crashing or religious wars blaming eachother for bringing the god(s) wrath upon them.

    • 2 years ago
  • unclecharlie
  • el_chivo
  • 805_COAM
    • 0
      805_COAM  

    • This is kinda scary its like that one movie
      "Dark City" where the city/planet is exploding but the only comfort i get from space is the Sun, but even then it will kill us all , if we dont start exploring space and colonize planets our dessendants will live in a living hell with no water and deal with 200 degree weather and Aliens On the Internet will Write milky way galaxy "Beautiful Chaos".

    • 2 years ago
  • iknew
    • 0
      iknew  

    • Imagine how peaceful and amazing it is out in the middle of space... And Imagine what's at the exact center of the universe!?!?!?!?!

    • 2 years ago
  • csmonut
    • 0
      csmonut  

    • In my next life I am coming back as a space explorer. That is, if I don't get to explore it when my soul leaves this planet.

    • 2 years ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • csmonut:

      What has you so convinced men have souls? Adam was not "given" a soul. The {ugh} Bible says that when air was breathed into Adam he became a living soul. His body was a big part of his soul that of course included the rest, the mental & spiritual. (That's why the Bible also refers to animals as living souls.)

      So why do you think space exploration is so far off? Have you given up on our rocket scientists? Or perhaps you have noticed the same thing I've noticed, and everybody else, that the only people getting to explore Space have to qualify first. That's why? Because propulsion slams the astronaut back into the seat cushion.

      Perhaps they don't want you to know there's another way available in fact several, that would raise a craft gently and travel out of earth's gravity without all that slamming back in the seat.... even Mr. Al Gore could travel into Outer Space if he had my system, either one of them.

      However, since the scientists have worked so hard to keep me from having a seat at their table it looks like we'll just keep plodding along hoping some part of our soul makes the trip. Looks like we're all white trash if ya ask me.

      A few get this, a few get that, and most of us get pig entrails.

    • 2 years ago
  • matlaroche
  • jubal
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